Homemade Gifts vs. Handmade Gifts, for Christmas

Homemade Gifts vs. Handmade Gifts, for Christmas

I'm a great proponent of homemade gifts. I love the intent and thought put into them and have spent many Christmases making presents. I've made aprons and pickles and marinated manchego cheese. I've knitted scarves and bagged rosemary-roasted cashews. But this year I have a full-time job outside my home and plan on continuing the tradition of homemade gifts by buying handmade things from the internet!

It's possible to make your own soap and it sounds fun. You'll need some equipment, though it sounds like you'll be making a quantity of it. I do realize it can be done on a small scale but what about purchasing handmade soap? I'm buying my neices assortments to enjoy.

Soap not your thing?

Scented candles are always welcome at my house. Here too, there are some small things you'll need...wicks, jars, wax. It's doable and with scented oils readily available there are hundreds of choices...or you could buy handmade candles. Winter Forest is one of my favorites.

I had a lot of fun the year I made scarves for everyone on our list (26 people!). It took months and cost of fortune in beautiful wool. You could hit Etsy for the kind of scarves experts create or drop by your local yarn shop and start knitting! If you already are a knitter click to Ravelry and find a pattern for something gorgeous.

Those cashews I mentioned? They are ridiculously easy to make, take very little time and are foolproof.

Believe it or not, they are also available for sale, homemade and delicious.

So, whether you buy handmade or make homemade, I think any of these would be thoughtful gifts.

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